The End is Nigh
by Luppi-tan
Summary: I know the name sucks. AllenxRoad. Some AllenxLenalee as well. Road knows that Allen has been suffering because of the fourteenth. She offers Lenalee a chance to help Allen, but at what cost? M for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Allen looked at Lenalee carefully, hardly daring to speak, not trusting his mouth to obey him. Perhaps it would be better if he just stayed quiet. But still, he had to ask her. Why was she sticking her neck out for him after what he had done? But, what had he done? He wasn't quite sure.

"L-Lenalee?" Allen whispered, causing the girl to look down at him with questioning eyes. All over HQ, they were searching for Allen, but, it would be a while before they found him. The last place that they would ever think to look would be somewhere that they already checked, so Lenalee hid in a small storage room that had already been searched for Allen. Allen knew that he was in deep trouble this time. He couldn't remember the incident at all. Suddenly, he just heard another voice in his head, the voice of the fourteenth Noah taking over his mind, and he completely blacked out, and now, he had a splitting headache and couldn't remember a thing.

"I-I did something really terrible, didn't I?" he asked, his voice sounding like a small child who was afraid to get in trouble. Lenalee looked at him, her sympathetic green eyes seeming to bore holes through his mind. Allen had never been more scared in his life. Fighting Akuma and Noahs didn't even compare to this.

"Allen, it… it wasn't your fault…"

"What happened? What did I do?"

"You didn't know what you were doing?"

"Lenalee!" Allen said, more forcefully this time, staring straight into her eyes.

"You didn't mean to do it!"

"Lenalee!" he said with such finality and force that Lenalee's heart skipped a beat, and she fell back against the door.

"Lenalee, please…" Allen said quietly, tears forming in his eyes. "I don't need you to protect me. But I do need you to be honest with me. _Please_ tell me what I did, so at least when I'm arrested, I'll know why."

"Y-you… you invoked your anti-Akuma w-w-weapon, and started attacking everyone around you. Suddenly, your eyes just sort of went blank, and you started screaming about the Noah Clan and the Millennium Earl. Allen, everyone is scared, now. I-I'm scared. I don't want to lose you…"

"Did I injure anyone?"

"Allen…"

"Lenalee!!" he said again. He was getting frustrated with her lack of willingness to tell him what happened.

"Y-you broke Kanda's arm, and Lavi got a few cuts, but nobody died. Nii-san and I managed to restrain you…"

"Is that why you have a black eye?"

"N-no." Lenalee lied. "I-I got hit in the face with something from th-the science department."

"Don't lie, Lenalee, please. I told you. I don't need you to protect me, but now at least I know. None of you will ever be safe around me again. I can't go on being an exorcist, being free to harm people. If I did that, I'd be no better than the Noah Clan, no better than the Akumas."

"Allen… W-wait!" Lenalee pleaded. Allen pushed her gently off of him, though, and stood up, shaky on his feet at first, but after a moment, gaining his balance. He then looked at Lenalee.

"Lenalee… I love you, and I don't ever want to see you again. Tell Kanda, Lavi and everyone else that I'm sorry."

"Allen!" she breathed once more, unable to stop herself from crying. She couldn't believe herself. She had just told him exactly what she had promised herself she would never tell him.

_But he forced me to._

_But you promised you wouldn't._

_He said he didn't need me to protect him._

_And you believed him? Are you that naïve, or just that stupid?_

_He said he wanted the truth!_

_And you gave him exactly what he asked for, and now, you'll never get to see him again. After all, he's dangerous now. Dangerous to himself, dangerous to everyone around him. He can't be left to his own devices. They'll lock him up. They'll treat him like a common criminal, and then they'll do what they do with all traitors of the church. They'll execute him._

_But he's entitled to a trial!_

_You know that their "trials" are tantamount to nothing more than a glorified witch hunt. Everyone in that courtroom will be against him. He'll be guilty before the trial even starts._

Before she realized it, though, Allen was gone. She heard the door shut and Allen get everyone's attention. Lenalee watched silently through a crack in the door as the guard rushed him and threw him violently to the ground, handcuffing him and dragging him away. She couldn't remember ever feeling worse in her entire life. She was singlehandedly responsible for Allen's death sentence. Her conscience had been right. Allen wasn't going to get a fair trial. Those things were a farce of the worst kind.

Suddenly, she heard breathing next to her and looked over to see a girl with spiky black hair and almost feral yellow eyes sitting there grinning. Lenalee fell back with a start, invoking her dark boots, but the girl just continued grinning and wagged her finger, and licking her lollypop.

"Man, do I love candy. Oh, did you want some? Sometimes a good sucker is all ya need to chase your woes away. Candy is to me like tea is to other people. I eat it when I'm happy and need to calm down. I eat it when I'm sad and need to cheer up. I eat it when I'm livid and need to simmer down a bit. It's good for any occasion. You just have to know what kind of candy is right for what occasion. There's an art to deciding what kind of candy to eat, you know. It takes years of practice. For you, to ease your guilt, I'd say that… Chocolate would be best… Unless you're on a diet, or something, sweetie…" Road said, sounding unusually good humored that night. Lenalee shook her head, her eyes still displaying her fear, but she took the candy bar and looked at it for a moment. She hadn't eaten chocolate since she was a child.

"What? It's not poison, I swear. I don't do that kinda thing. Besides, why would I want to poison you when I'm in a position to gain a much sweeter prize? Allen Walker's heart. I've never actually felt this way about anyone before, and from the look on your face, you feel the same way. I must say, I don't blame him for choosing you. After all, you're sweet, and gentle, and you've got the nicest silky black hair with a luster to it that I could never hope to achieve. Tell me, Miss Lee, what's your secret? How did you really win Allen's heart? He doesn't seem the type to be so shallow as to go for looks alone, so it must be something about your personality that he loves."

"Th-that's none of your business! Did you just come here to mock me!?"

"On the contrary, Miss Lee!" she said in something of a taunting tone. "I came to _help_ you. I came to help Allen-kun. I could save him if I was given enough incentive."

"You mean, you can break him out of prison?"

"Were you born _blonde_ or something, sweetcheeks?" she asked cruelly, glaring at Lenalee for the first time and slapping her lightly a few times on the cheek, more to tease her than to hurt her. "I said I'd save him, not dig his fucking hole even deeper!" Road snapped back at Lenalee who looked slightly alarmed at Road's irritability.

"I can remove the 14th Noah's memories from Allen-kun, and thus, he'd return to his normal self. He'd once again be that sweet, gentle guy that you're so in love with."

"What does the Earl get out of this?" Lenalee asked suspiciously. Road looked up and giggled, then broke out into wild peals of fitful laughter that reverberated throughout the small room and threatened to give away their hiding place. Lenalee couldn't believe that Road was actually laughing at her. She didn't yell, though, because she didn't want to attract undue attention.

"Sorry, sweetheart. It's just hilarious that you think the Earl even knows about me being here. He'd punish me for sure if he found out. But, that's just one more reason that I can't and most certainly won't do this for free."

"W-what do you want?" Lenalee asked, leering at Road, even more suspicious than ever.

"Well…" Road said, thinking for a moment. She already knew exactly what she wanted. But she also wanted to say it in such a way that would really upset Lenalee. She just loved watching that silky haired bitch squirm. Then, she had it.

"Very well. I want you… to break Allen Walker's heart… And then, you have to make sure that he won't even be able to glue the pieces back together by asking that swordsman out where you're sure that Allen-kun will see you do it… hehe…"

"Y-y-you can't be serious! Why would you want that? I thought you liked Allen, too!"

"Oh, I do love Allen-kun. But, incidentally, I love myself more, and I want to give myself every advantage when _I_ ask him out. Some would call it catching him on the rebound. Some would call it deceitful and vicious. Me? I call it the window of opportunity."

"Why Kanda?" Lenalee asked, confused.

"You really don't know? Have you seen the way those two go at each other? They're like cats and dogs those two. They see each other they fight. How do you think Allen would feel if he saw Kanda take you right out from under him? He'd be incensed, and rightly so. Maybe even angry enough to plot a horrible revenge. And of course, infighting suits me just fine. It makes it that much easier for Earl-sama. Of course, if you'd rather ask the red haired boy out, or perhaps the vampire?" she asked, smirking ever more widely with each suggestion and at the growing horror and disgust on Lenalee's face.

"Y-you're despicable!" Lenalee spat, glaring at Road with utmost contempt and loathing. She hated Road almost as much as she hated herself at the moment for even considering such a deal. "Allen would never go out with a witch like you!" Lenalee snarled at Road, more to assure herself than to inform Road, who merely smiled and looked over at the chocolate that Lenalee hadn't even eaten yet.

"You're pretty naïve, aren't you, Miss Lee? I don't think you fully comprehend what some people would do when their heart is broken. Men are interesting creatures, really. They have an innate tendency to trust women over men, and whether the woman is good or bad, nice or mean, if that woman offers a heartbroken man some respite from his pain, he's naturally going to gravitate to that woman."

"And I suppose that you fancy yourself offering Allen that respite?" Lenalee asked, looking hatefully at Road, who just chuckled and shrugged.

"I dunno. There are dozens of ways that my plan could go wrong, and I may never end up with Allen-kun, but you'll never be able to say that I didn't try my damndest to do something, right? Well, what's your answer, sweetie?"

"How do I know that you won't go back on your word?" Lenalee asked coldly.

"Well, I suppose that is technically a possibility, and someone's word is only as good as the mouth out of which it comes, which isn't saying much in my case. So, I guess that you'll just have to trust that I really do like Allen-kun enough to save him. The rest will sort itself out. Soon after I remove the fourteenth, he'll be released from prison, and everything will become relatively normal again. I imagine that your dear brother will fight fairly hard to get Allen released, since he seems to particularly like Allen, too. But, before I do anything for you, or for Allen-kun, you have to carry out half of your side of the deal. You have to break Allen's heart. You don't have to do it meanly. His heart is fragile enough right now that the merest flick would shatter it."

"I-I'll do it…" Lenalee said, dreading what she knew had to happen, trying to convince herself that she was doing the right thing, even though doing so made her sick to her stomach.

"Excellent. I'll take care of my end of the deal after you complete half of your end. Furthermore, I suppose that it goes without saying that you are forbidden to tell Allen about this deal of ours. You're free to tell any of your other friends, I suppose, but I doubt that you would, for fear of looking utterly as reprehensible as I."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"A-Allen?"

"Lenalee! Why are you here!? I-I mean, n-not that I'm not happy t-to see you, but… I didn't think th-that you would…"

"Allen, we have to talk," Lenalee said quietly, tears attempting to force their way into her eyes. She fought them back valiantly, though, and looked Allen resolutely in the eye.

"Allen, perhaps in the past I've given you the wrong idea, and if that's th-the case then I apologize, but… I don't love you. I-I've always liked you, and cared about you, but… as a friend. I hope you can find it in you to still want to be friends with me…" she said, internally loathing herself. She watched as Allen's face went from curious, to hurt, to crushed. At first, Allen didn't say anything, but then…

"A-a-alright. I-I understand…" Allen said weakly, hardly able to comprehend what his ears were telling him. This most certainly wasn't what he needed at the moment. He didn't see why she couldn't have waited until he was cleared of the charges, or just never tell him! That would have been fine, too. She could have left her feelings for him ambivalent in his mind, but she had to choose that precise moment to crush him. He was starting to wonder if there even was a God. What sort of God would let this happen to him? He had never done anything wrong. He had devoted his whole life to the church, and to saving Akumas' souls, and now this came at him.

"Miss Lee…" he said with a cold formality that sent chills down Lenalee's spine. He looked up at her. She had never seen his eyes quite so devoid of anything, of any emotion. They seemed utterly dead.

"Y-yes, Allen?"

"Please do not feel that you have to come back to visit me…" he said blankly, which Lenalee pretty much figured meant "Please don't come back again."

Above them in the rafters of the prison, Road watched with an arrogant and self-satisfied smirk as she viewed the players in her little intrigue of love and betrayal.

"Romeo, Romeo… wherefore art thou Romeo?" she said slowly and barely managing to suppress the giggles that seemed to rack her frame every so often. She hated school, but she loved classic literature, especially tragedies, and right now, a live, real time tragedy was unfolding before her very eyes. She was even a little bit surprised that Lenalee went through with her side of the bargain.

"Good girl. At least I know I can count on you to play by the rules…" she said, her eyes half closed, still giggling quite hard at her own genius. It was true that she could be rather cruel at times, but it was all only a means to an end. Even Allen was a means to an end. She was under her own impression of why she had grown attached to Allen, and she hypothesized that it was because he had proven so incorruptible and pure, and so full of faith. She wanted to find out just how much it would take to turn such a man from God. She had no idea what he'd do after he betrayed the Dark Order. For all she knew, he could leave her behind as well and start living on his own like he had before.

However, she had promised Lenalee that she would save Allen, so, she cloaked herself in shadow and jumped from the rafter that was so high up above the rest of the prison and into Allen's cell. The white haired exorcist looked up and stared dully at Road, not quite realizing who it was. Not that he really cared. It could be the Millennium Earl for all he cared, come to turn him into an Akuma as well. He even vaguely wondered what kind of Akuma he would become. Suddenly, though, his thoughts were interrupted by the person holding out a large candy bar for him to eat. It was huge. He loved candy, but for some reason, he didn't have much of a sweet tooth that night.

"No thank you. I am not hungry." Allen said mechanically, standing up and looking down at Road's feet. Road could feel a vein throbbing in her temple. She was annoyed at his lack of response.

"Perhaps you don't recognize me. Maybe you'll recognize this, Allen-kun…" Road said, stepping into the light and kissing him on the lips for the second time. This time, though Allen didn't resist. Nor, though, did he kiss her back. He just sort of stood there, staring at the wall behind Road's head. Finally, Road had had enough. She grabbed Allen's chin and pulled his face closer to hers.

"Oh, hello, Miss Kamelot. I suppose you are here to kill me, then? Go on then. Where are your Akuma friends?"

"Wait, you mean your precious girlfriend didn't talk to you at all?" she asked, feigning surprise, but leaving the question intentionally vague to confuse and annoy Allen. Suddenly, a spark of rage flickered across Allen's face, though, and he slapped Road as hard as he could, causing her to stumble backwards a bit. Allen generally wasn't in the practice of hitting girls, or hitting anyone for that matter, but mentioning Lenalee had set him off.

"Do _not_ mention her again!" he hissed furiously. She smirked and licked the blood off of her lips and continued.

"So, you're not afraid to die, but you get angry when I talk about Lenalee-chan? You must really love her…" she said, causing Allen to growl at her. His rage was barely suppressed now, and it was taking all that he had not to start strangling her. He knew full well that if he did kill her, that none of the Order would blame him. Quite the contrary, actually, they'd probably be glad that he did. However, for some reason, he had to stop himself from hurting her.

"_Mustclearmind, my mind must be clear… clear… clear my mind my mind is clear clear clear my mind my mind_…" he said over and over again, though not fully coherently. Road could tell that madness had already taken its toll on his mind and thus, his speech. He was babbling nonsense, speaking madly and rapidly like he was short on air, taking deep gulps of breath between words, unable to form complete sentences anymore.

Road sighed. All that she was here to do tonight was entice him toward her side and to remove the memories of the 14th from his mind. After that, she had no further business. But she could see that it would be dangerous to stay too long, as he might snap again. So, she merely planted the diodes on his temple and pressed the button, causing the memories to slowly slip from his mind. It would take a moment, so she embraced him, knowing that he wouldn't fight back, and gently stroked his back for him, calming him down slightly. She had already to take him into her fold. Just by being gentle with him, he had already begun to trust her. Even Road herself, though, was surprised at how easy it had been to start the entire process.

After a moment, Road smiled, content with what she had done, and removed the diodes from Allen's head, stepping back from him and cocking her head slightly to the left.

"Well, Allen-kun… I suppose this is it for today… Try to get some sleep. You must be exhausted…" Road said sympathetically. "And when you wake up tomorrow, it'll be like the fourteenth never even existed," she finished and then disappeared through a warp in space. Allen sighed and went to lie down on his bed. Almost immediately, he fell asleep, and didn't wake up until there was a rattling sound on the bars the next day.

"Hey, Allen! Hey ALLEN!!" came a loud yell from outside the bars. Allen shot up in bed, still groggy from the night before, and his memory a little bit hazy. He looked around nervously, expecting to still see Road or Lenalee there.

"W-where's Road!!?"

"Road Kamelot? Um… I dunno. Were you having a nightmare about her? Must have been pretty scary, huh?" Lavi said with a good natured smile. For a moment, Allen was angry at Lavi's comment. Talking to Road the night before had been ironically comforting, given the situation that he had been in. Finally though, after a moment of tense silence, Allen calmed down, though, and he noticed that Road wasn't there anymore, and he decided that everything that had happened the previous night must have just been a nightmare. He didn't go crazy at all. They didn't lock him up. He never told Lenalee that he loved her, and she didn't turn him down. Everything was good. But then, why was Lavi in his bedchamber?"

"Hey, Lavi? Why are you in my bedroom?" Allen asked quietly. Lavi looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You mean you don't know where you are, Allen? You're still in prison, but late last night, like at 0200, Chief Komui secured your release. He said that he had consulted a professional and that the professional said that your psychotic break was due to all the stress that you had been under lately. They're going to release you on the condition that you attend regular therapy sessions with a Church appointed shrink."

"Th-then you mean that I really did attack all those people!!?? What happened!? Are they alright!? How's Lenalee!?"

"Calm down, we're all fine. Lenalee seems a little bit shaken. She was up all night with a bad stomach bug, but she seems to be better today. I would guess that she's just a bit worried about you."

"I-I see…" Allen said, deciding not to mention what happened between him and Lenalee the previous night. He himself still wasn't sure if it was real or not. He wasn't even sure if Road had showed up, or if all that had been a dream. Oddly enough, if it was a dream, it wasn't that bad. For some reason, Road's presence comforted him. If it really happened, then maybe Road wasn't as evil as he had always thought her to be. Perhaps she had just been dealt her fated hand, and he had been dealt his. If that was the case, then was he wrong about all the members of the Noah Clan? Perhaps they were just fated to be enemies, and neither of them was really good or bad, just different. After all, war wasn't always about good and evil, right and wrong, black and white. War was just about people who couldn't agree. There were differing points of view, and a peaceful agreement couldn't be reached.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour of thinking, Lavi unlocked the cell and Allen slowly stood up, shaking his head and preparing for another long day. He trudged out of the cell, trying to remember if everything was as he remembered it. It turned out… it was. When they got back up to the top level, he saw Komui, who had been waiting to greet them, and take Allen to his first appointment.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"So, you're Allen Walker?" the therapist asked quietly, smiling at him as though she understood him the second she saw him. He nodded, not sure if he was ready to talk about what had happened yet. It was still a little bit embarrassing, but this woman was here to help him, so perhaps even if his memories were a little bit embarrassing, it would be better to talk about them regardless.

"I'm Guinevere Morte."

"I-it's nice to meet you, Miss Morte…" Allen said quietly, still distracted slightly, and in his distraction, he didn't sit down, rather just standing there and staring back at the door.

"Please sit down, Allen," Guinevere said with a smile. She had a comforting aura. She had long black hair in a braid down her back and was a bit shorter than Allen, and had amber colored eyes that seemed to show understanding and acceptance. Immediately, Allen felt at ease around her, albeit with an odd sense of déjà vu.

"You seem a little bit distracted, Allen. Is something the matter?" she asked him. He shook his head and looked over at her, trying to concentrate.

"Okay then, before we get started, was there anything you wanted to talk about?" she asked. Allen thought for a moment.

"Well, I'm not sure if this is all a dream. After I blacked out, I'm not entirely clear on what happened, but I woke up to find myself in a storage closet with a coworker, and we talked for a little while, and she told me what had happened. Before I left, I told her that I loved her… But then they arrested me and took me to the dungeons, where Lenalee had followed me and she told me that she didn't feel the same way. I guess for a few minutes I was angry that she had come down just to tell me that, but then I remember this crushing melancholy washing over me, like I would never be happy again. But then, this girl, Road… Um… She's a member of the Noah Clan, and coincidentally, she works for the Millennium Earl, and then everything started to get weird. She kissed me, which has happened before, but then she mentioned Lenalee and I got really angry and hit her. She just laughed and asked if she had touched a nerve. I asked her if she was there to kill me, and she offered me some chocolate, which I turned down. She said that she was there to help me, and she hugged me and put some sticky things attached to wires on my head and pressed a button, and suddenly, it was like my mind was perfectly clear again. After that, she smiled and said that she was done, and that when I woke up, it would be like none of this ever happened. So, after she left, I went to sleep and I was woken up by Lavi, another exorcist, the next day, and suddenly, everything seemed kind of unreal, like it had all been a dream, but I knew that it was way too vivid and realistic to be a dream, and now, suddenly, I have this weird feeling of déjà vu when I look at you. It's like I've seen you before."

"Hm… That is interesting. Do you remember where you think you've met me before?"

"No. It's not anything I can put my finger on. You just look like someone that I may have met."

"I see…" she said, writing something down in her notebook

"Tell me a little bit about Road…"

"Well, I don't know. She's maybe 5 feet tall, slim build, purple spiky hair…"

"No, I mean tell me about Road as a person."

"Oh!" Said Allen, blushing, slightly embarrassed. "I-it isn't what you think…" he said waving his hands before him and smiling sheepishly. He wasn't so sure, anymore, though. Road was attractive. That much he knew, but did he like her?

"I'm sorry. From the way you said that it was nice to know she cared about you, I got the impression that there might have been something between you."

"That would be… impossible. I'm an exorcist, and she's a Noah. It would only cause trouble for both of us." Then, "do you think it's odd to wonder if Road and the rest of the Noah Clan are actually evil?"

"How do you mean that?"

"Well, last night, I remember myself questioning if there even was a God, and also, if maybe the Noah Clan wasn't really evil, but was just fighting for different ideals. I mean, I've talked to some of the members of the Noah Clan, and they all seem to believe that they're doing the right thing. They believe that the Earl's cause is just, and that we're the bad guys."

"Do you think that you fight for a bad cause?"

"Well, no, but, I'm not one of the Noah."

"Of course not. But you seem to harbor some sympathetic feelings toward their beliefs, whether you agree with them or not."

"I guess. It's just that Road doesn't look like she's any older than I am. She could have just as easily been in the same class as me in school or something. Even though I've seen her do horrible things, it's hard to see her as really being evil, and that makes me question whether the rest of the clan is evil, or if they, like her, are just of a different mindset."

"How do you think you would feel if you were put in the same class as her at school?"  
"I don't go to school. I'm tutored here by the Organization."

"I know, but what if you were put on assignment in the same classroom as her. How do you think you would handle it?"

"I-I don't know. I guess unnerved at first, but I would have to accept that it's probably part of my mission."

"But you wouldn't have any personal feelings about it?"

"Personal feelings have no place on a mission," Allen said, looking almost angry and a little bit depressed.

"They matter here, though."

"I guess I could at least be amicable with her in public…"

"Okay. Well, that's all the time that we have today. Um. Why don't we meet again the same time next week?"

"10:00 on Saturday morning?"

"Yes…"

"Alright." With that, Allen stood and smiled at Guinevere and walked out.

Later, Allen was walking, and he saw Yu Kanda and Lenalee talking. For a moment, he didn't think anything of it, but then he saw that the conversation was rather heated, so he silently sidled up for a closer look. He slowly and quietly slunk behind a wall and listened to their conversation.

"K-Kanda… I-I really… like you, and I w-wanted to ask if you would g-go out with me?"

Allen silently gasped. Now it all made sense. Of course. It seemed so obvious now. She liked the strong and silent one. He couldn't say that he blamed her. If he was her, he wouldn't have chosen himself either. He wasn't sure if he was really angry, either. It was more of a sick feeling in his stomach, like he was going to throw up. At the moment, though, Allen wasn't really paying attention, yet the conversation went on without him.

"Um… Lenalee… You've never shown interest in me before. This is rather odd…" he said in his usual stoic and slightly grumpy voice. Lenalee leaned closer, which could easily have been interpreted as her flirting with Kanda, and whispered, "Please Kanda! I can't tell you why I'm asking you this favor right now, only that I am. Allen is watching us now, and I _have_ to do this. I promise I'll give you a decent explanation later."

"Fine…" Kanda whispered, and then he said out loud, instantly drawing Allen's attention to his voice, "Okay, Lenalee. I'll go out with you." Then, Lenalee smiled and hugged Kanda and skipped off as though she had never been happier. As Allen heard Kanda walking toward him, he ran the other way, not wanting him to know that he had been eavesdropping.

Later, Allen sat on his bed, deep in thought. He didn't have any missions at the moment, and he didn't have any interest in talking to anyone. He had started keeping a diary ever since he begun in HQ over a year prior. Going over to his desk, he flipped through it, having avidly kept a log of almost everything that he had been doing in that year. He had progressed a lot. His weapon had evolved several times, and more impressively, even some of the equipment type weapons had evolved. It seemed like the innocence had taken on a life of its own. But that wasn't what he was looking through. He was looking through to see what he had written about his feelings for Lenalee. He had written a lot about her. He didn't really know much, so what he was writing was mostly just personal feelings, but he had never liked anyone so much in his entire life. Some people felt uncomfortable around the one that they loved, but for Allen, it was the opposite. He always felt like he could trust her and tell her things. Now he wasn't so sure anymore how well he knew her. He had never picked up on the fact that she liked Kanda. But why wouldn't she? Every girl wanted to go out with the strong, silent type. But Kanda wasn't just that. He was kind of… mean. That was why Allen didn't understand what she saw in him. Maybe she thought that she could make him kinder. Allen didn't see that happening any time soon, though. But, no matter what it was, Allen could only accept it and try to move on with his life as though none of this had happened.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Lenalee looked away from Kanda shyly. He had been in his meditation room when she walked in and asked if she could talk to him. He had looked at her with the same steely look that he gave everyone and said, "That depends, are you going to give me an explanation for why you lied so blatantly to me earlier? Most people would be annoyed if someone told them that they liked them when it was obvious that they didn't. Or perhaps you're just trying to make the Beansprout jealous? You don't really need to, you know. He already likes you. I thought that you of all people would notice that. You're not an idiot, Lenalee. Don't act like one." At this, Lenalee smiled awkwardly. This was about as close to a compliment as she would ever get from Kanda.

"You don't understand, Kanda. I'm not trying to make Allen jealous. I'd have to tell the story from the beginning for you to get it."

"I have some time. Just try to get to the point," Kanda said shortly. He didn't like long, drawn out stories that never quite made their meanings clear.

"Okay. It happened on the night that Allen cracked. He attacked us all, and you and Lavi subdued him."

"I remember. He gave me some nasty bruises to commemorate the moment."

"Anyway, then he finally came to, and he was about to be arrested when I pulled him off and hid with him. We hid in a storage unit for about fifteen minutes, and he asked me what happened. I explained it to him, which only seemed to upset him further, though I'm not really surprised that it upset him, I suppose that it would upset me, too, if I found out that I had attacked my friends, and…"

"Lenalee!" Kanda said shortly. "The point."

"Right. S-sorry. Anyway, he surrendered himself to the guards and was thrown in the dungeon, and then Road Kamelot showed herself to me and said that she could help."

"Wait, Road Kamelot!? That Noah girl!? How did she get in!? What did she say!?"

"I-I don't know how she got in, b-but she offered me some chocolate and said that she could help Allen. She said that she could remove the memories of the fourteenth from him. But she wanted me to break his heart and then ask you out in a public enough manner that Allen would either see it happening or hear of it later."

"Two things about this make no sense to me. First off, why on earth would she want to help Allen? Second, why the fuck would she want you to 'break his heart'?"

"Well, the answer to both is the same thing. She's had this weird thing for Allen for a while now, and I suppose she thinks that if I hurt him badly enough, he'll be more open to going out with her."

"Hm. Smart girl. She seems to know human nature pretty well."

"But Allen isn't a vindictive person! He's not going to go out with Road just because I hurt him!"

"Lenalee, you're a lot smarter than most girls your age, but you really are clueless," Kanda said, losing his scowl. He almost looked sympathetic. Then he said, "see, you're right. Under normal circumstances, Allen wouldn't ever go out with someone like Road Kamelot. However, now that he's twice been emotionally stabbed by you, he's probably open to anyone who would offer him some comfort. It could just as easily be that scientist girl in the other HQ in China, but she rarely comes into contact with him, so that's out of the question. Now, Road, who will likely have many opportunities to be in contact with Allen, is in a much more favorable position now, to offer sympathy and slowly and subtly manipulate Allen to become more dependent on her, and more hostile toward you and likely, the rest of the order. In other words, she's going to turn him against the Dark Order, and unless you interrupt her plans somehow, there's not much we can do about it. Unfortunately, since Allen has been hurt by you, and then had that belief cemented by seeing you asking me out, he's unlikely to be predisposed to listen to you. Road probably counted on that from the beginning, knowing that you loved him, and were likely to go back on your word after she did whatever it was she did for Allen. Now, she's the one who looks good, and you come out looking like a bowl of soggy Soba noodles. Yes, Road is extremely talented at manipulation. However, it's possible that the Earl also played a role in this."

"No. Road said that the Earl would punish her if he found out."

"Hm. If she did it without the Earl's permission, then she must either be very important to the Earl, or very sure that her plan was going to work. There are several ways that her plan could have gone wrong, unless she has some other aspect of her plan that none of us know about. She may have other members of the Noah Clan in on her plan, and everyone who is in a possible position of trust with Allen right now is suspect. If Road could infiltrate the Dark Order's HQ so simply and so silently, then that means that we really can't trust anyone right now. I would imagine that Road is in the order right now in the guise of another female and is probably going to spend a decent amount of time with Allen right now or in the near future. You should probably make a list of all of the people with whom Allen regularly comes into contact and keep a close eye on them. Speaking of which, when did I join the Order?" he asked demandingly, looking at Lenalee, not fully trusting her at the moment. He had said that _anyone_ could be Road in disguise.

"Um, you've always been in the Order. You were of the second generation exorcists, created from one of their experiments to create people who were compatible with the innocence."

"Okay. You should have some obscure questions ready for any of the members who display suspicious behavior," Kanda said coldly, looking around to see if anyone was watching them. When he was satisfied that nobody was, he turned to Lenalee again.

"Has anything happened lately that makes you suspicious?"

"N-not that I can think of."

"Well, keep an eye out… You can't trust anyone right now."

Allen silently walked through HQ, and headed toward his room, his pace slower than usual. He didn't see any real need to hurry. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. Lavi called out to him, but Allen wasn't paying attention, so he passed right by him, until Lavi slapped him hard on the back, causing him to vault over his feet and land flat on his face. It didn't really hurt that much, but it was a little bit annoying. Allen was about to yell at Lavi, when he rethought it. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to start an argument. He wasn't sure if it was really worth it.

"Oh, hey, Lavi," Allen replied dully, standing up and dusting himself as if he had merely tripped, and Lavi hadn't shoved him at all. Lavi looked at him with one eyebrow raised, surprised that this hadn't annoyed Allen in the slightest.

"Y-you mean, you aren't angry, Allen?" he asked, utterly perplexed. Allen gave Lavi one of his patented fake smiles and shook his head.

"No. I'm sure you didn't mean to hit me so hard…" he lied. He knew that Lavi had every intention of knocking him over, but Allen wasn't really in a good mood, and he was afraid of what he would do if he got into a fight. Maybe that was a sign that he was really slipping, or perhaps it was a good thing. Allen didn't know, but at the moment, he did know that a fight wasn't what he wanted.

"Um… O-kaay…" Lavi said slowly, scowling, slightly annoyed that Allen hadn't said anything back.

"So, what's up, Lavi?" Allen asked, more as a nicety than for the reason that he really cared. Lavi shrugged and looked harder at Allen, "Well, you're acting like a grade-A weirdo. What happened? Did Lenalee reject you, or something!?" he asked, laughing a bit, not expecting Allen to really respond.

"Not exactly…"

"What do you mean 'not exactly'!? She either did or she didn't! Did you ask her out or something?"

"It means that I don't wanna talk about it!! Now leave me the fuck alone!" Allen snapped before he could catch himself. Before he could say anything else, though, he looked away and ran off to his room, now in a hurry. Lavi stared after him, his mouth agape for a moment, before shaking his head and stalking off, noticing that several people were looking at him.

As Allen silently walked into his room and shut the door, he noticed that several candles were floating in midair, which could only have meant one thing. Road was there. Allen looked around, not really scared, but surprised, and oddly pleased. He suddenly jumped and ran over to Road, hugging her tightly. She looked across at Allen, their faces practically touching, shocked that he had shown such affection toward her. After she got over her surprise, though, she smiled and hugged him back. It was at that exact moment, though, that Allen realized what he had done, and he pushed himself off of her and jumped back, readying himself to fight if need be.

"S-sorry, Road… I didn't mean to act so rashly." He said, looking at her suspiciously. She smiled and shook her head, showing her hands in a display of peacefulness.

"I come in peace… so to speak. Hehehe…" Road said calmly, not making any quick movements, though she could have easily reached for Lero to distract Allen while she escaped. Level 1 Akuma wouldn't have held Allen for long, especially with his power, but it would have been a good distraction for her to run. She had no intention of leaving, though, until she had gotten what she had come for.

"Yeah? And you're going to leave in pieces if you don't explain yourself immediately!" Allen said coldly. Road's smile faltered slightly, but instead of getting annoyed, she moved so quickly that Allen didn't quite follow and she got behind him, draping her arms sensually over his shoulders and leaning on him, smiling seductively at him. Allen gulped, turning slightly pink.

"Um… R-Road, i-it was one thing to share a hug. Even a kiss is a little out of bounds, but this is k-kinda going t-too far…"

Road giggled and shrugged. "Suit yourself, Allen-kun. I'm just here because I thought you might like the company. Apparently I was right, although right now you seem adamant not to show it…"

"Just leave me alone, Road. I'm not in the mood to be made fun of. I'm not stupid. I know as well as you do that a Noah would never want the company of an Exorcist. They're polar opposites."

"That hurts, Allen-kun… Just because I'm a Noah doesn't mean that I'm heartless. I'm not so cruel that I would pretend to like someone just to mess with them. Your morals and values sure are cute, though. Tell me, does the mere fact that I'm a Noah make me evil? Does the mere fact that you're an exorcist make you good? What about the people who persecuted you when they believed that you were related to a Noah. What about Yu Kanda. He's not a very nice person, and yet the innocence chose him. Does that make him good? What about me? I go to school. I have a uniform, which, by the way, I look quite cute in. I should show it to you sometime. But I do homework just like any other student. Tykki even helps me with my math homework when I don't understand it. Knowing all that, can you still honestly claim that you believe I am evil?"

"I-I don't understand. W-why are you telling me this!?"

"Who can say?" Road asked mysteriously, draping her arms around Allen and holding him gently, allowing him the chance to break free if he wished. Much to Road's delight and surprise, though, he didn't try to push away.

"I guess I just wanted you to know that I've never seen myself as evil. In fact, from the Earl's point of view, you're the bad guys. Try to wrap your head around that one, Allen-kun…"

"I guess it's as I expected. I talked with my church appointed therapist about that. I got the strangest sense of déjà vu around her, though."

"Did you, now? What do you suspect _that_ was all about?" Road asked with a smile, actually enjoying her talk with Allen. She had known that she liked Allen, but she had always suspected that it was sort of a selfish kind of crush. However, this seemed completely different. It was like he actually meant something to her, and she really did want to take away his problems and make him smile again. He was sort of smiling at the moment, but it was a sad smile.

"I-I don't know. Her name was weird, too. Guinevere. It's an uncommon name in this day and age."

"I had a friend named Guinevere once. She died, though, shortly after I awoke to being a Noah."

"That's kinda sad. Were you able to go to her funeral?"

"Are you joking? Of course not. We were busy at the time, and there was no time for anything but work. I even had to skip school for a while."

"I see. I've never been to a normal school. The Dark Order always tutored me, and before that, I was always on the road with my master, and before that, I was on the road with Mana."

"Hm… You might like school. You'll have to try it sometime."

"Haha!" Allen laughed, smiling genuinely for the first time in what seemed like forever. "I doubt that will ever happen."

Road merely shrugged and then said that she had to leave. With that, she kissed Allen on the cheek and then made a gate which she promptly left through.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Allen, Lenalee. You have a new assignment. Do you think that you're ready for it?" Komui asked, looking at Allen and Lenalee.

"Of course."

"Yes."

"Good. You've been enrolled in a Japanese high school. Allen, if you don't know Japanese, you should brush up on it. Lenalee, I know that you're fluent in it."

"Y-yes…"

"Um… I know a bit of Japanese. But why Japan? Why us?"

"Well, it's rumored that there have been strange occurrences there. We need two high school age kids. Lavi is somewhat too old, Miranda is far too old, and Krory wouldn't fit in at all. We could have sent Kanda, but apparently, he doesn't want this assignment. And you should know that Japan is the epicenter of the Earl's activities. If there are strange occurrences in a high school, you can bet that he already has the Noah Clan on it."

"I-I see. I'm on it."

Allen and Lenalee looked at the school, then at each other, almost immediately looking away. Allen hadn't mentioned her and Kanda at all. He kept convincing himself that it was her business, and that he had no place getting involved.

Meanwhile, Lenalee hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Allen at all since the night that he snapped, and that wasn't really very productive. She was worried that Road already had him in her grasp. She couldn't believe that she was allowing this to go on right under her nose. She had to at least drop a hint to Allen that she knew what was going on.

"H-hey, Allen?" she said meekly, half hoping that he wouldn't hear her.

"Yeah?" Allen asked, looking blankly right past her head, not making eye contact at all.

"Y-you haven't run into any Noahs lately, have you?"

"W-what do y-you mean by 'lately'?" Allen asked, nervous now. Was she on to him and Road? Wait, why was he referring to himself and Road as a pair, now? What was he thinking?

"Well, in the past month or so? Outside battle, of course."

"You know that I don't go out except on missions." Allen said evasively. It was true, at least, that he didn't go out, except when he was on a mission. But that wasn't what she was really asking. However, he wasn't exactly lying, though he was trying to deceive her by the way he worded his answer.

"I-I see." Lenalee said. That didn't really tell her anything, though. She still didn't know if Road had implemented her plan, yet, or if she had still been leaving Allen in peace.

With that, they walked into the school, and toward their respective classrooms. Perhaps it was fortunate that the two were not together, because as Allen walked toward his classroom, he noticed that he was getting a lot of stares, from students and teachers alike. It was probably his white hair, and the fact that he had that pentacle scar on his eye. Another thing that could potentially look rather disturbing was his left hand. He had put a glove on it and wrapped it in bandages for the time being, since it was summer, and they were therefore wearing their short sleeved uniforms, but it still probably looked rather odd for one whole arm to be bandaged and not the other one.

The difference between the students and the teachers was that, unlike the students, the teachers were at least trying to hide that they were staring at him. Either by pretending that they were scanning the hall, or by looking away if they thought that Allen was looking in their direction, they hoped to allay suspicion. Allen had the feeling that before his time was up there, that he was going to run into some kind of trouble. He was right. He usually was. Before he even made it to his classroom, he was stopped in the hall by an authoritative looking student, rather taller than him and wearing glasses that seemed to be sliding off his nose.

"Hold it, newcomer! I am Takao Misaki, student body president, and I grossly object to your hair!"

"My… hair?" Allen asked, pretending that he didn't know what Misaki was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"It's too long, and you bleached it! Do you enjoy causing upset wherever you go? And perhaps you care to explain why you have a pentacle tattooed over your left eye, and why your left arm is so bundled up."

"Oh. Actually, this is my natural hair color, and I can certainly get a haircut if it would suit everyone better to do so."

"But what about your arm!?"

"Oh, my arm. It got badly burned in an accident, and it looks rather disturbing, I'm afraid."

"It couldn't possibly be any more disturbing that that pentacle tattooed above your head. Kamigawa High School is no place for witchcraft!"

"Oh, this isn't a tattoo… It's…"

"It's a birthmark oh great Misaki-sama…" came a sarcastic voice from behind them. Allen spun around quickly to see Road standing there, dressed in her uniform, and smiling brightly. Her usual Noah markings were absent on her forehead, and in her uniform, she almost looked like a normal teenager.

"Ah, of course, Road Kamelot. He's just the sort of vagrant that I'd expect someone like you to associate with."

At this, Road just smiled and walked up slowly to Misaki, continuing to suck on her lollipop and putting a hand on his cheek.

"Tell me, Student Body President Misaki, do you remember when I broke your arm for putting your filthy hands on me?" Misaki nodded numbly, shivering slightly now at the coldness in Road's voice.

"Uh huh. I don't suppose that you'd want to _repeat_ that experience, would you?" she asked, tilting her head to the left and grinning at him. For a moment, Misaki didn't say anything, but then, he gulped and managed to choke out, "J-just get a haircut by tomorrow, newcomer!" before he raced away. Road stuck her tongue out at him and then looked back at Allen, who was stunned into silence.

"Don't worry about him. He's just an asshole who happens to have a father who got him that position at school. But seriously, your hair has gotten rather long. I always cut my own hair, maybe at lunch, I could do yours…"

"Y-you don't seem surprised to see me here… W-what's up?" Allen asked, shocked to see Road. He hadn't expected to be going to the same school as she was. Of course, he was relatively safe from her, there. After all, while they were there, they were both just fellow students.

"Well, I was surprised when I heard that a boy and a girl of your and Lenalee-chan's descriptions were seen coming into the school. But then I realized that you must be on a mission. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Here, have some chocolate. It's good for your soul."

"Do you even _have_ a soul, Road?" Allen asked, slightly amused at what she had said. Road puffed out her cheeks and scowled playfully.

"Of course I have a soul. I am human, after all! So, your arm got caught in a fire, huh? I'll have to remember that one. What class do you have first hour?"

"Um… Mathematics…"

"Really!? Me too! Let's go, before we're late!"

Math class was a rather boring affair. The teacher seemed to talk in a monotonous drone that Allen had trouble paying attention to, when it was such a nice day outside. It wasn't like school was important for him, anyhow. He was just there as a cover for what he was really doing, which was scoping out the Innocence that was supposedly in the area. For some reason, he believed Road when she said that some strange things were happening. Of course, he wasn't sure what Road's definition of "strange" was. He only knew that if there were unusual happenings, then the only thing that could be causing it was the innocence. Before Allen knew it, though, he had fallen asleep in class and was snoring softly into his arms. Unfortunately, a few minutes later, he was awoken by a yardstick slamming down on his desk, less than a centimeter away from his head. This teacher had to be insane!

"Mr. Walker!" She said loudly so that the entire class could hear. "Were you having any good dreams in my class?" she snapped, glaring down at Allen, who looked at her, confused.

"But, REM sleep doesn't usually start until almost an hour after the person falls asleep…" he said innocently, causing the rest of the class to snicker under their breath. He hadn't really meant to talk back to the teacher. He was just still a little bit dazed from being woken up so forcefully.

"I think perhaps a detention after school will set you straight, Mr. Walker. Until then, please try to stay awake."

"Y-yes, ma'am…"

With that, Allen went back to idly half listening to the teacher while staring at the back of Road's head, punctuating his gaze with the occasional sigh. He wasn't quite sure what it was that was causing him to act so strangely. It couldn't be good, though. He needed to try to stay away from Road Kamelot. However, that was getting harder and harder to do, both physically, and emotionally. He found himself actually _wanting_ to spend more time with Road. He would have talked to Lenalee about it, but he wasn't sure if it was really appropriate to do so, now that she had rejected him and asked Kanda out. In truth, Allen was sure that he shouldn't even have been aware that Lenalee and Kanda were going out. They were being quite discreet about it, and he hadn't heard that they were going out from anyone else, unless other people knew, and just weren't telling him because they knew that he had liked Lenalee as well. Perhaps it was just as well that nobody was telling him. Now he didn't have to be reminded of that awful fact every time the rumor reached a new set of ears.

Almost alarmingly soon, lunch came, and Allen headed toward the lunchroom, planning to eat in there, but then, he remembered that Road had offered to give him a haircut on the roof. He wasn't quite sure where the roof was, but he was sure that he could find it if he looked hard enough. He could ask someone, anyhow. Fortunately, he came across that someone mere moments later when a group of four girls stopped him in the hall.

"Hi. You're Allen Walker, right?"

"Um… Yes. H-have we met?" Allen asked, secretly examining them with his Akuma finding eye, but seeing that they were only human girls.

"Not yet, but I have some friends who'd like to meet you. Why don't you come have lunch with us?" the one girl asked, smiling brightly.

"Actually, I'm looking for the stairs to the roof. Do you know where they might be?" Allen asked politely, smiling innocuously. The girls looked at each other and started giggling.

"What? Did I say something strange?"

"Not really. You're new here, so you wouldn't know that nobody eats on the roof anymore."

"Really? Why not?"

"Ever since that Road Kamelot girl came to this school, and started eating up there, nobody wants to eat with her. Rumor has it that somebody tried eating with her once, and he was never heard from again. Plus, she's constantly leaving school early on 'business', but she never says what's so important. Ironically, though, she's near the top of her class. Everyone suspects that the school is in her family's pocket or something."

"I see… Well, nonetheless, I've known Road for a while now, and I can tell you that she's not up to anything unseemly. She just has an unusual family situation. And actually she's extremely smart, so I'm not surprised that she's doing so well. Thanks for the warning, though."

"You're _still_ going to go up to the roof!? Road is a freak! She's a total nutcase! She's…"

Suddenly, Allen turned around and grinned at them, though it wasn't the usual good natured smile that he gave people. The malice in it was nearly palpable, and the girls gulped hard and started to back away.

"I don't generally take well to people who talk behind my friends' backs. Now, if you could please tell me where the stairs to the roof are, I'd be most grateful."

"Um… G-go down the hall five doors on the right, and turn left."

Allen nodded and then walked away, leaving the girls to sigh in relief when he was out of sight.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Allen walked out to the roof and sighed. It was a nice day. The sun was shining brightly, and there were only a few white, fluffy clouds in the otherwise bright blue sky. The rooftop was a little bit dirty from people walking on it, but it was clean enough to sit on. From near the edge, Road looked over at Allen and smiled brightly.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to come," Road said, blushing slightly for the first time around Allen. Usually she was completely calm and composed, but now, her heart was beating like crazy, and she could feel her breathing getting quicker and quicker, like she was having a panic attack. It wasn't as severe as that, but it was the same general feeling. She had had several panic attacks in her life. They happened back when she first awoke to her Noah memories, and she was trying to deal with all of the things that she knew, but didn't remember learning about, or seeing. The memories had been so clear, as though she had seen it all happen just days before. She very nearly went insane, but then the Earl came and told her that it was alright, and that she wasn't crazy. No, she wasn't crazy. She was merely a Noah, a superior breed of human with special powers and memories that lived to serve him, the Millennium Earl. At first, Road didn't want to have to leave her family. She was scared, and she wanted to just live a normal life like a normal child and go to a normal school. The Earl had promised that she could have a family, that the other Noahs who had awakened their ancestral memories also lived with him. They were just like a family, and though the old Noahs that she knew from the beginning died eventually, she developed a sense of familiarity with the Noahs that came after her, that lived with the Earl and did his bidding, and eventually, she came to like being a Noah. It was like having a special secret that she couldn't tell anyone, but that made her unique.

Now, though, she was starting to wish that she could be a normal human again. It wasn't impossible, either. Theoretically, Allen could exorcise her Noah memories, purge her of any remnant or proof that she ever was a Noah. She didn't know the side effects of that, though. What if along with her Noah memories, went the memories of Allen Walker? What if she didn't remember meeting him, of falling in love with him? Wait, was she calling what she felt love, now? Suddenly, she felt a little bit ill. She swooned slightly, almost falling over, but was caught by Allen, who looked at her, eyes full of concern.

"Are you alright, Road?" Allen asked, looking at her resolutely.

"Y-yes, Allen-kun… I-I'm fine…" Road said, looking away shyly, her face turning bright pink at looking like such an idiot in front of Allen. This whole thing with him was setting off her balance, the tenuous balance that she had worked so hard to achieve was being shaken by this one boy. She wished almost that she could tell him the truth. However, she knew that she could not. First of all, it would ruin her chances of ever having Allen. Second of all, it would really hurt Allen to know that she had manipulated both him and Lenalee, and Kanda, if only indirectly.

Meanwhile, at the door, Lenalee was watching silently, fuming that Road was all over Allen like that. In Lenalee's eyes, all she saw was Road making a fabulous display of trying to seduce Allen, and Lenalee was sure that if word of this got out to the Order, that Allen would be sentenced to death. That was why she couldn't tell anyone other than Kanda, who was officially her boyfriend, but technically just a façade. She suddenly realized what exactly it was that she had done. She had led everyone that she had ever loved or cared for into a trap. She led Allen right into Road's clutches. By asking Kanda out in a public place and then explaining what happened to him, he was in on the secret, and he had to keep it, lest he get her and Allen in huge trouble. She had also trapped herself in a web of lies and deceit that threatened to entangle her irretrievably, leading to Allen's, Kanda's, and her inevitable downfall. There was no way to survive this, and even if they all did. Even if Road somehow Allen found out, he would be heartbroken all over again, and this time, she wasn't sure that anyone would be able to be there to comfort him. Allen would never trust her again, and he would be completely engulfed in despair that the one girl that he thought loved him, despite the fact that they lived in different worlds, had betrayed him so vilely.

She could see the concern and love in Allen's eyes. His were the eyes of someone who was far beyond retrieval. Road had completely ensnared him, and there was nothing that Lenalee could do that would change that, now. For even if she were to decide to tell Allen what really happened, Allen wouldn't believe her. After all, she had broken his heart and then asked out Allen's biggest rival. She had known how much this would hurt Allen, and she went through with it, anyhow, thinking at the time that in the long run, it would be better this way. At least she was saving his life, but she didn't account for the fact that maybe he wouldn't have wanted to be saved if he had to live his life like that. She also hadn't counted on Allen really liking her that much that he'd become so desperate for consolation after she 'broke his heart'. What had she done? She was no longer sure who was the bigger monster. Was it Road, or was she, Lenalee, the true monster?

After what seemed like hours of painfully watching Allen and Road talk and laugh together, and of Road giving Allen a haircut, Lenalee finally forced herself to leave, and it was just in time, too, because just as she shut the door, Allen leaned back to kiss Road, and they shared a passionate kiss under the warm sun on the roof. It was perhaps good that they were so far away from the door, because that meant that they didn't hear Lenalee sobbing on the way down. Once down the stairs, she ran to the left toward the bathroom, not really hungry anymore. For a while, she just sat in one of the stalls, crying. She didn't know what to do anymore. She had lost utterly. Road had completely beaten her through superior intellect and planning. Lenalee usually had a plan for any situation, but now, she was fresh out of plans. Lenalee knew that she was smart, but Road had to be some sort of genius to be able to think of all that she thought about on the fly. Road had had no way of knowing that Allen would snap that night, so she was probably just staking out HQ, and had seen an opportunity for herself when Lenalee led Allen into the storage space. She had probably then thought up her plan and then gone to Lenalee and coerced her to join in, and now Lenalee was just as guilty as Road and Allen.

After about half an hour, another girl came into the bathroom and heard Lenalee crying. The girl shook her head and went over to her stall and knocked. Lenalee jumped at the noise, and stood, opening the stall door, looking at the girl, her eyes rimmed with red and tear streaks running down her cheeks. The girl stared at Lenalee and then put a hand on her shoulder, holding her in place for a moment.

"What's wrong?" the girl asked. "Oh, by the way, I'm Sakura Minamoto, she said, smiling sympathetically, hugging Lenalee closer to her. Lenalee wrapped her arms around Sakura. It had been a while since she had had a girl her own age to talk to.

"Oh… I-it's… nothing."

"Wait, let me guess. Boy troubles. The boy you like is completely under the spell of another girl."

"H-how did you know?" Lenalee asked, amazed.

"Boys are simple minded creatures. They can never seem to see what's right in front of them, and they're sooo easy to wrap around your finger. All you have to do is flirt with him a bit, and you could have him in a flash. You're really pretty. Someone like you wouldn't have much trouble."

"B-but I don't want to manipulate him. He's already been manipulated enough in his life."

"I see. Well, if subtlety doesn't work, have you tried just telling him straight out that you like him?"

"I-I can't. I can't talk much about it, but I was coerced into something awful by someone, and now, A… the boy thinks that I like someone else, and she's fingers deep in this boy. Right now, they're kissing on the roof. That's why I'm in here."

"Ah, Road Kamelot… She is a strange one. I don't know much about her personally, but I've heard things, and none of them are too flattering. Nonetheless, she seems completely impervious to the rumors. And this boy must be Allen Walker. I heard that he was looking for Road earlier."

"H-how do you know all this!?"

"Rumors spread fast in this school. The girls are all travelling in huge packs, whispering amongst themselves. Another pack of girls overhear and then a rumor is started. I can't comment on what Road did or said to you, but I've always found that being honest, no matter how late you are on the uptake, is best."

"H-he would never believe me."

"Is this what you think, or what Road has told you would happen? Have you ever lied to this boy in the past?"

"Yes. But he still thinks that I was telling the truth."

"Then you need to clear that up and everything else along with it."

"Thank you! I have to go, before something happens that we'll all regret!"

Lenalee ran out of the bathroom at top speed and toward the staircase. She nearly knocked over a few first years in the hallway on her way, and the wind that she was creating nearly blew up the skirts of some other girls. Finally, she made it to the stairs, and ran up them, throwing open the door to find Allen and Road kissing passionately, and removing each other's clothes. Road looked up first, seeming quite unbothered by Lenalee's interruption, despite the fact that her school blouse was about to fall off her shoulder, and Allen was touching her breasts. Allen next noticed that Road had stopped and looked behind him at Lenalee. He turned bright red and stumbled back off of Road, stuttering like a moron.

"W-wait! L-Lenalee! This…"

"Never mind, Allen! I have to tell you something, so just shut up and listen!!" Lenalee shouted passionately. "Road has been tricking you all along. She came to me on the night that you snapped and were thrown in prison in order to offer me a chance to 'save' you. She said that she could remove the memories of the fourteenth from your mind. I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but I knew that it had something to do with the stress that you were under. She said that what she wanted in return was for me to break your heart and then ask out Kanda. Kanda is in on this, too. I told him about it. Road then planned to offer you comfort so that you would gravitate to her as she so aptly put it. We were both played for fools, Allen, and Road was behind it all! I'm sorry for what I said to you. I love you, and I wanted so badly to be able to tell you that I did, but I couldn't because of the trap Road had caught us in!"

Allen looked at Road, not sure what to think. He backed away from Road and started stuttering. Finally, after a moment or two, he spoke.

"Road-chan… I-is this true?"

"A-Allen-kun… I-I did that b-because I wanted you t-to see how much I loved you!"

"But you aren't SUPPOSED to love me!! I'm an exorcist, and you're a Noah! We're polar opposites, sworn enemies… And now I see why! You Noah's are no good! You manipulate anyone you see fit to your own ends! Get out of my sight, Road, now! Before I do something that we're both going to regret!"

Road nodded numbly and buttoned up her shirt, running inside, looking as though she was about to cry. Of course, Allen didn't look much better. His lip was quivering, and his eyes looked like they were wavy with all of the tears that were glistening in them. Lenalee ran over to Allen and hugged him tightly, whispering into his ear as he cried that he was going to be alright. Allen didn't feel alright, though. He felt as though his heart had been ripped out again. And finally, he realized that he was hugging Lenalee and he pushed her away from him.

"Lenalee. Why did you do that to me? I would have rather died than been hurt like that by you… I told you. I don't need you to feel sorry for me! Now, just leave me alone. I'll tell the chief that the whole thing was a trick. There is no innocence here."

"Lenalee nodded and walked away, and through the door, closing it behind her."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Allen sat in his bedchamber, furious. He didn't really know anymore just who he was angry at. Angry at Road for deceiving and betraying him. Angry at Lenalee for hurting him like that, and for being stupid enough to think that he would be better off like that. For all he cared, Kanda could _have_ her, and he hoped they were happy together. He still hated Kanda, but he didn't really bear him any particular ill over Lenalee. Most of all, though, he was angry at himself for being angry at everyone around him, and for being such a moron. After all, was he really so stupid that he so easily fell into Road's trap? Lenalee, Allen thought, must have thought him a real loser for being so naïve. Did Road ever really love him, or was that all just part of her plan? Did she just want information on the Dark Order? Maybe the Millennium Earl had put her up to it. And she had nearly succeeded. She had nearly gotten him to have sex with her. He felt so dirty suddenly, like he had touched something impure and unholy, something viler than the foulest pile of trash imaginable.

Immediately after he had gotten back to HQ, he had gone into the baths and locked himself in, staying in there for ten hours. Even he hadn't been sure what he was doing. The water had long since gotten cold by the time that he got out, and he hadn't washed himself, so he had only succeeded in wasting water and wasting a few hours. People had occasionally come up to the baths and tried to talk to him. Contrary to what he and Lenalee had believed, nobody was angry at him, and he wasn't in trouble. They weren't going to punish him for fraternizing with the Noah Clan. He wished they would, though. He wished they would whip him, or put him in prison, or do _something_ that would prove to everyone else how pathetic he really was.

He was in such a deep state of melancholy that he had sort of drowned out the outside world. He wasn't listening. He wasn't paying attention at all. He just didn't care enough. For some reason, he was exhausted. Being miserable took a lot out of him, and he wasn't used to such loneliness. He felt like nobody cared about him, that nobody understood him, and that everyone was against him. Because of his melancholy, he didn't hear the knocking on the door that had been going on for almost five minutes. Miranda was standing outside with a tray of food for him, and she was hesitant to come in without his permission. The door wasn't locked, but she had never just barged into anyone's room before. Finally, she sighed, and spoke.

"Allen, if you don't object, I'm coming in…" she said gently. Miranda had changed a lot from the depressed, and chronically unlucky woman that they had met in that town. She was a lot more cheerful, now, and she could smile, and laugh, even. She was still quiet and a little bit shy, but she was reliable, and was always there to help when she was needed. After waiting another moment and not getting an answer, she pushed the door open and walked in to find Allen just lying on his bed, facedown in his pillow. He wasn't crying. He didn't have enough energy left in him to cry. He was just lying there, waiting for who knew what. Maybe he was just waiting for death's cold embrace to claim him. He hadn't eaten in a little over a week, and it was showing. He had lost weight, and his clothes were baggy and droopy on him.

At first, Miranda thought he was dead, since he wasn't moving, and it looked from behind like he wasn't breathing. She screamed and dropped the tray where she was standing, causing several people to look up and come running, including Lenalee and Komui. When they got to Allen's room, they saw Miranda by the bed, shaking Allen fruitlessly.

"Calm down, Miranda. He isn't dead…" Komui said with a small smile. Komui looked back and told everyone else to leave. "Lenalee… Perhaps you should go back to what you were doing."

"No! I want to talk to him!" Lenalee protested loudly, looking at Komui with determined eyes.

"I'm not sure if…" But he stopped in the middle of his sentence and nodded, walking out of the room, but silently waiting on the other side for a moment, before finally walking away. When Lenalee was certain that Komui wasn't listening anymore, she walked over to Allen and sat down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Allen looked over at her, eyes rimmed black from lack of sleep and from lack of food. His whole face had become terribly pale and gaunt, and his cheekbones were beginning to protrude from under his eyes. His normally beautiful white hair was limp and frizzy from over a week of bed head. He would have looked funny had Lenalee not known that the situation was so dire.

"Allen-kun, talk to me…"

"Don't call me that. _She_ called me that. I never want to hear that name again…" he said, not yelling, but in a soft, rather cold tone that indicated that he wasn't really interested in talking.

"Allen, I know you're angry at me, but can you at least listen. You don't have to say anything, just listen to what I have to say."

"I'm not angry at you. I'm hurt, but I'm not angry. I'm not even angry at Road. Manipulation is just in her nature. It's what she does best. A leopard doesn't change its spots. No. I'm angry at myself for making such an idiot of myself. I fell for Road's trap so easily. I can't possibly be _that_ stupid, can I!?"

"Allen, listen, I talked to Road the night that you snapped, remember? She had all of this planned out from the beginning. All the cards were in her hand, so to speak. All she had to do was lay them down. She knew all along exactly what my weaknesses were, and exactly what your weaknesses were. She knew about the memories of the fourteenth inside your mind. That was her offer, to get rid of them, and in return, she wanted me out of the way. Allen, I don't expect you to forgive me… I-I just want to know if you hate me or not…" she said, tears glistening in her eyes. Until that moment, Allen had only been listening marginally. But now, he was at strict attention, listening to every word that Lenalee said. How could he possibly hate her? He had never felt any ill will toward her. At first, he was angry at her for thinking that he would want to be saved like that, by making a deal with the Devil, so to speak, but anyone could have been tricked by Road's honeyed words, and subtle actions. After all, all of this had gone on right under the noses of the entire Dark Order.

"Lenalee, I could never hate you. I don't know if you still believe me, but I really do love you."

"Then, you really hadn't fallen in love with Road?"

"I thought I had. But it was all a lie, just like the cake," Allen said with a small laugh at his own joke. Lenalee looked at him, confused. She didn't think that anyone had ever mentioned a cake. However, she decided not to question Allen's statement, and she hugged him tightly, pulling him into a warm embrace that she wished would last forever. Suddenly, though, there was a loud knock on Allen's door. Allen stood up, smoothed out his hair a bit and walked over to the door and opened it only to see a large package right before him.

"Um, you're Mr. Allen Walker, right?" came a gruff voice from behind the box. Allen nodded and took the clipboard, signing for the package and pulling it through the door. It was heavy, and somehow, it fit through, even though it was bigger than the doorframe.

"I-I didn't order anything. Do you think that I should open it?" Allen asked curiously. Lenalee nodded, so Allen took a blade out of his pocket and cut the box open, pulling out what was inside. It turned out that there was a large assortment of items in there, including a small television and cassette player. The cassette player was ancient technology, but the television actually looked pretty new, and with it, there was a tape to watch. It looked homemade, so Allen plugged everything in and put in the tape. Immediately, a blue screen popped up, and then a picture of Road's own face. Allen fell back, startled at first, until he realized that it was indeed just a video. Behind Road, her room was quite as gloomy and gothic as Allen had imagined that it would be. It had incredibly high ceilings and he watched as Road set everything up and then said,

_Is this thing on?_

_Good._

_This final note is to Allen Walker. I don't expect you to believe me when I say that I am truly sorry for what I did to you and Lenalee, and that I wish you both the best of luck together in the future. I promise that I will never bother you again, as I will soon no longer be among the living. Allen, you once said that you believed it was your job to save the souls of the Akuma that fight for the Earl. To that, I can only offer you good luck, and hope that you know what you are getting yourself into. _

_As at least one member of the Order has probably suspected, Akuma are much more than simple weapons with souls. Indeed, they are the energy source for all of the Millennium Earl's power. I can't say more on this video tape in case this is being listened in on or gets intercepted. I have some friends that will collect this tape, and the rest of the package that you have before you now, and will send it to you. That is how it got there. In addition, I have given you over a millennium's worth of scientific and magical research that is likely to be very intriguing to your R&D Department. I suppose I should count myself lucky that I have chosen to commit suicide, because if the Earl ever found out about this, I would suffer a much worse fate than death, I can assure you. I would be forcibly stripped of my Noah powers, and if that didn't drive me insane in itself, he would torture me for several years, kill me, and then force my soul into an Akuma to become another slave in his army._

_I know that I am not high on your list of people to trust, but please believe what I say as a last will of sorts. The Millennium Earl is an incredibly dangerous being, and there will be a day soon when he will rise to full power once more. If you thought that he was already powerful, you have not seen anything yet, for he has estimated that he is only at about 5% power at the time. Back 5000 years ago, he ruled the entire known world with an iron fist, and everyone alive and dead were subject to his laws. Beginning on the day when Lunar Perigee coincides with the full moon on 08/09/10 (1910), his full powers will awaken again, and he will be unstoppable. You must defeat him before then, or you will have no hope. The reason that he has not come after the Order and destroyed it already is because while at any one time, he may have enough power, his current level of power could not withstand a prolonged battle with the innocence. Therefore, he will wait until that fated night, and then when he is at full power, he will steal all the souls from both heaven and hell, and force them into Akuma to fight for him. He will have an army the likes of which has never been seen before on this earth._

_With that, I must force myself to conclude this tape, as I believe that I am running out of tape to use. Goodbye, Allen. Perhaps, if God sees fit to forgive me, I'll see you in the next life. Lenalee, I beg your forgiveness as well. I was always envious of how strong and beautiful you are. And 1… 2…_

Road climbed up the ladder to the beams of her room. Allen and Lenalee didn't want to watch, but their eyes were glued to the screen in horrified curiosity. They watched as Road slipped the noose around her neck and tightened it, and then tied a heavy rock around her feet. Apparently, the beam was pretty strong, if it was going to be able to support such stress on it. They watched as she took a deep breath, and they couldn't help but notice that she was crying while she was doing it.

_3_

And she jumped. Allen and Lenalee both knew that it was just a video, but neither could stop themselves from screaming out "NO!!" as she plummeted down and they saw the rope jerk and heard a sickening crack that was Road's neck snapping. For a moment, Road gasped, and stiffened, then she went utterly limp. The video stayed on for maybe thirty seconds more, and then cut off, having reached the end of the tape.

Allen looked over at Lenalee, who looked winded and horrified. After a moment of stunned silence, Lenalee hugged Allen again and cried into his shoulder. Allen just sat there, shaking his head. Maybe she really didn't have any other options. Maybe suicide really had been the only way out. But he would have liked to think that there was always another way. Finally, the two got up and went over to the box, which was easily as tall as Allen himself, and looked inside. As Road had promised, there were thousands of documents inside that would have to immediately go to the R&D department. Also inside, though, there was a large bag that was filled with nothing but candy and other sweets. Allen almost laughed when he saw this, but took a piece of hard candy out and started sucking on it. He offered some to Lenalee, but she refused, saying that she didn't really feel like eating at the moment.

*10 years later*

The war had been over for years, and Allen and Lenalee had gotten married. Komui hadn't been happy about it at first, especially because of the way that they broke the news to him. It basically went down the way that it always did, when Allen walked into Komui's office and bent over and whispered in his ear "Chief, Lenalee and I are getting married…"

Instantly, Komui had been on the warpath, but he had calmed down… after a few months, and had decided that there were worse people that Lenalee could have gotten married to. Now, Allen and Lenalee had two children of their own, a boy and a girl, and the girl was at that age at the moment when nothing could quite manage to sate her curiosity. So, that day, she had decided to steal Allen's candy stash and hide it. It was certainly an odd habit, a candy eating habit, but some people smoked, some people drank. Allen ate candy constantly. Overall, it wasn't the worst thing for him. However, he did get rather irritable whenever he ran out, or when someone hid it on him, either as a prank, or to get him to stop eating candy. Well, today, his irritation was directed at Road Kamelot Walker.

The two children looked at their father, wide eyed and giving that pleading look that always seemed to work on him. Then, Road asked, "Daddy? Why do you eat so much candy?" It was a question that she had always wanted to ask, and her brother, Mana Walker, who was the shy one of the two, had also wondered, but had never asked.

"Well, Road-chan… I suppose it started about ten years ago when I was fifteen. An old friend of mine who's dead now got me started, and I suppose I could have stopped, but I continue eating candy in honor of her. You know, if she hadn't given up her life, you two wouldn't be here right now. She saved the entire world from being destroyed…"

"Allen! What kind of tall tales are you filling these kids heads with, now!?"

"Nothing, dear! Just telling them about how I came to be such an avid candy eater."

"You mean how you never met a simple sugar you didn't like!?" Lenalee asked reproachfully. Allen laughed brightly, and said, "Oh, is _that_ what happened!? I had forgotten. Are you sure that I can't interest you in a chocolate bar, honey!?"

**The End**


End file.
